Current Board of Directors

OFFICERS

Michael Faw, Chairman
Secretary 2009 - 2010
Treasurer 2008 - 2009
Director Term Ends 2012
Columbus, Ohio

 

As a professional outdoor communicator and photographer for more than two decades, Faw has written works and shot photographs that have appeared in dozens of international, national, regional and state publications. He currently works full-time as a freelance editor, writer and photographer; and covers a wide range of outdoor sports with an emphasis on hunting, shooting and optics. Faw's education and vast outdoors experiences have helped him work as a full- or part-time editor and writer for numerous publications. Working as an editor, Faw learned about the corporate media environment and the challenges faced when preparing magazines, books and electronic media. As a full-time freelancer, he has learned the challenges that today’s writers and photographers face when trying to earn a living and building working relationships within the corporate environment.

 

Kevin Tate, President
Treasurer 2010 - 2011
Director 2008 - 2010

Director Term Ends 2012
West Point, Mississippi

 

As an avid hunter and fisherman and an insatiable reader, Kevin Tate has been a student of the outdoors and of outdoor writing since childhood. The words of Patrick F. McManus, Gene Hill, Robert Ruark and many others drove him to take up the writer’s trade.  Current Mossy Oak Productions products include: Mossy Oak’s Hunting the Country, Mossy Oak Classics, Whistling Wings, Browning’s The Best There Is, and The Obsession Revealed. In the past, Kevin has also produced copy for American Hunter, Step Outside, Remington Country and others.Whether focusing on print or video, Tate’s mission is to deliver products that not only make the company proud, but make all hunters proud of what they do.

 

Tammy Sapp, Treasurer

Secretary 2010 - 2011

Director 2009 - 2010

Director Term Ends 2012
Aiken, South Carolina

Tammy Sapp has worked as an outdoor writer, photographer and marketing communications professional throughout her 25-year career. Her resume includes experience with state wildlife agencies and nonprofit conservation organizations. She has supervised the launch and production of several PR and social media campaigns, magazines, websites and national television shows. Today, she coordinates communications and business development efforts for Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc., a leader in outdoor safety education products. 

 

John Zent, Secretary

Director 2009-2011
Director Term Ends 2012
Fairfax, Virginia

 

John has been employed by NRA Publications for 28 years. He started as an entry-level editor and subsequently progressed to a number of posts on NRA magazines and other media. Currently, John is Editorial Director, and as such is responsible for the editorial operations and content of six monthly magazines and four online sites covering all facets of shooting and hunting, and is also a co-producer of NRA’s American Rifleman and American Hunter and American Guardian TV shows on The Outdoor Channel and The Sportsmen’s Channel.

During his lengthy career, John has represented NRA in numerous and diverse functions around the globe, ranging from one-on-one conversations with members to public speaking engagements to working along with countless folks from the shooting and hunting industry. It has also been his good fortune to have the opportunity to hunt extensively, visiting 41 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, Africa, Europe, and South America.  In the course of his career as an editor, he has also published hundreds of bylined articles in NRA media.

 

 

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DIRECTORS

Pete Brownell
CP Director, term ends 2011
Montezuma, Iowa

Pete is President of Brownells, and is the third generation of Brownell to lead the company. He officially joined the company in 1998, and spent nine years in his previous position as Brownells vice president.  He grew up in the industry and worked a lot of part-time hours at Brownells, from junior high through college. He assembled kits, picked orders, packed orders, loaded trucks and generally learned that there's a lot more to a business than sitting in an office. Brownells is the world's largest supplier of firearm parts, tools, equipment and accessories.  Stocking more than 30,000 items, the company services gunsmiths, armorers and shooters worldwide.

Tony Bynum
Director, term ends 2014
East Glacier, Montana

Tony Bynum, is a full-time freelance outdoor commercial, wildlife, and nature photographer from Montana. He began his professional photography carrier in 2005 by producing cover quality images for the outdoor editorial and commercial product industry. His images have appeared on the covers of many major hunting and traditional outdoor recreation focused magazines, including F&S, ODL, Fair Chase, Texas Sporting Journal, Eastman’s, Bugle, Bowhunt America, Montana Outdoors, Montana Magazine, Western Hunter, Western Horseman, and many more. In 2010, he was selected to produce commercial advertising images for the State Of Montana’s Office of Tourism.

 Doug Gilmer
Director, term ends 2014
Virginia

Gilmer's communications/media career began in 1996 in the law enforcement and tactical area. He filmed several episodes of “World’s Wildest Police Chases,” “Police Crashes,” and “Moment of Impact” with Sheriff John Bunnell. Ultimately, this led to writing several articles for law enforcement and professional publications. Gilmer's true passion, however, was writing for the traditional outdoor market. In 2004, he published his first outdoor articles in The Christian Sportsman magazine. Now he is a contributing editor for the magazine and has had articles featured in several other mainstream outdoor publications.

Bill Konway
Director, term ends 2013
Leroy, Indiana

After high school in Chicago, Konway chose to try my hand as a commercial diver. Within months, he was training and diving for a company in Southern California. To his dismay, he discovered the diving part was only a means of transportation to an underwater job site. Within a year, he was back in the Midwest and back on Lake Michigan fishing away my summers, and hunting big-water diver ducks in the winters.

Konway's life changed when he was given the opportunity to write for a small local magazine. His small column quickly led to a columnist position at a local newspaper, writing about all things hunting and fishing. This is where he made what he thought was an amazing and shrewd discovery. The newspaper would pay him extra if he'd submit photos with the columns. The next column was an illustrated how to fillet a fish in 15 easy steps piece that likely launched his passion and career path.

Fifteen bucks. That’s what he was paid for the 15 photos. Suddenly, he was a photographer. Nearly 30 years later, Konway is fortunate to shoot everything from sunrises to sailing geese, Waylon Jennings to the Presidents Bush, and a Clinton thrown in for good measure.

He spent 25 years working as a full-time photojournalist for a Chicago daily newspaper. It was good steady work, but it was no longer the dream. So, call him crazy, plenty of his friends did, as well as some family members, but three years ago, Konway retired or quit, depending on whom you ask, and began a quest to try and make it as a full-time, full-fledged photographer in the outdoors industry. So far, so good.

Lisa Metheny
Director, term ends 2013
Terre Haute, Indiana

Lisa Metheny is an award-winning outdoor writer, photographer, seminar speaker and outdoor skills instructor. Metheny has numerous articles and photographs published in a variety of publications. Metheny regularly conducts seminars on traditional outdoor sports such as archery, shooting and hunting and she holds a variety of instructor certifications. She regularly teaches hunters education and archery classes and has become an advocate for promoting traditional outdoor recreation to families all across the United States. Metheny is also an avid and accomplished hunter with many big game species to her credit.

Metheny currently serves on the Board of Directors and Ethics Committee for the Hoosier Outdoor Writers Association. She is also a member of the POMA Money Line committee. She served on the Indiana Wildlife Federation Board of Directors and on a variety of local committees for such organizations as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and NWTF Women in the Outdoors. Metheny has actively pursued a career in outdoor communications for nearly a decade.

Prior to becoming a full time outdoor communicator she served as National Youth Director for the American Haflinger Association (AHA). Metheny created and implemented the youth program for the AHA which has awarded thousands of scholarship dollars to college bound equine enthusiasts from the United States and Canada. She also served as Secretary for her state equine association. However her most important and rewarding role has been as a wife and mother of three active kids. Metheny is a member of POMA, SEOPA, HOW, NRA, RMEF, NWTF and DU.

Tom Opre
Director, term ends 2013
Swan Valley, Montana

Hunting is in Tom's blood. Opre has traveled the world from Africa to Alaska to Argentina in the pursuit of big game, incredible wing shooting and trophy fishing.

Opre followed in his father's footsteps, noted writer and columnist Tom E. Opre (Detroit Free Press, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life), into the outdoor business world -- though his path led him to film making. After attaining a BA in Communication from Grand Valley State University (MI), Opre's trail included stints working for legendary outdoor filmmaker Glen Lau; to producing documentary films for Shark Week on the Discovery Channel; to directing/producing national TV commercial projects (Federal Cartridge, Mathews Archery, Knight Muzzleloaders, Berkley, Sea Doo, Polaris ATV, Prois Hunting Apparel, and Chevrolet); to directing/shooting extreme sports films.

As the owner of Tahoe Films, Ltd., a full service film and video production company since 1990, Opre continues to direct, produce and shoot a variety of projects for the outdoor recreation industry. Currently, he is the host and executive producer for Primal Adventures™ on Versus.

Also, Opre supports a variety of professional, 2nd Amendment, and conservation organizations including: Outdoor Writers of America (OWAA), Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), National Rifle Association (NRA), National Shooting Sports Association (NSSF), Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) - current board member, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.